1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a container holder for a vehicle interior and, more specifically, to a vehicle container holder with a pair of adjustable container-receiving arms which are selectively positionable in one of several discrete positions. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a vehicle container holder movably mounted in a housing and having a bail which is movable to a retracted position as the container holder is moved within the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Container holders in an automobile are commonplace in contemporary vehicles. The container holders are used to store a beverage container so that the vehicle operator can operate the vehicle without concern over the spilling of the container. Consequently, a number of devices have been developed for retaining and supporting beverage containers used in automobiles.
Several prior patents disclose trays which may be slidably mounted below an automobile dashboard for movement between a retracted storage position below the dashboard and an extended position for use above or close to the leading edge of the front passenger seat. Such trays may be provided with fixed circular apertures for receiving beverage containers. Examples of these devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,611, issued Mar. 4, 1958, U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,112, issued Sep. 20, 1971, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,982, issued Aug. 19, 1975.
Other references disclose trays which may be swingably mounted below an automobile dashboard for movement between a storage position below the dashboard and position of use extending from the dashboard toward the seat. These trays also may be provided with fixed circular apertures for receiving beverage containers. Examples of the latter devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,934, issued Dec. 4, 1956, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,241, issued Jun. 22, 1965.
These prior art trays which support and retain beverage containers have complete and fixed circular apertures arranged in a side-by-side or front-to-back relation. This arrangement necessarily requires that the width or depth, respectively, of the tray be greater than the diameter of two beverage containers to allow enough area to enclose a pair of fixed, complete circular apertures. Such devices obviously occupy considerable space below the vehicle dashboard.
More recent container holders have included a drawer or tray slidably mounted within the dashboard or armrest of the vehicle. The drawer or tray has semicircular openings forming a portion of a cup receiving area and arcuate arms completing the cup receiving area. Many of these container holders have arms which are biased inwardly toward the drawer and which can be moved outwardly from an initial minimum position to an enlarged position to receive a cup of larger diameter than the cup receiving area. Examples of these cup holders are U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,580, issued Nov. 9, 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,771, issued Sep. 4, 1990. Similarly, other cup holders have a cup receiving area formed by a body portion having semicircular openings and an arm which is biased to a closed or retracted position. These cup holders are expandable from a minimum size to a larger size by forcing the cup into the cup receiving area and moving the arm opposite the direction that it is biased. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,716, issued Jul. 21, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,184, issued Apr. 14, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,259, issued Mar. 2, 1993, and commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,008, issued Jun. 18, 1996. The Lescoa '008 patent discloses a container holder having an arm which is pivotable to one of several discrete positions through a ratchet-type detent mechanism.
However, the prior art container holders have several limitations. First, the arms and perhaps a bail must be cammed into a retracted position as the drawer is moved into the housing against the bias of the springs which urge the arms outwardly therefrom, often causing scratching and other damage to exterior surfaces of the container holder and requiring a degree of force to move the container holder into the housing. Second, prior art container holders are often positionable in only one direction, i.e., container holder arms are always initially positioned in an outermost position and must be selectively positioned inwardly to achieve a desired intermediate position.